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(No Model.)

H H. EDGBRTON.

APPARATUS POR THB MANUPAGTURB 0F GAS FROM HYDROGARBON OILS.

Patented Ma1.20,1883.

NITED STATES ATnNT APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE F GAS FROM HYDROCARBON lLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 274,443, dated March 20, 1883.

Application filed June '25, 1881.

To cli 'whom it may concer-n Be it known that I, HENRY H. EDGEaToN, of Danbury, in the State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Im provement-s in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas from Hydrocarbon Oils, of which invention the following specification is a full description.

TheV invention has for its object to avoid the choking and stopping up ot' the gas apparatus due to the deposit therein of carbon and tarxy matters, and to produce a gas ot' great'illumimating-power which will burn in ordinary or large size burners Without smoking, and it accomplishes the desired result by preventing so far as possible the formation in the retort of free carbon and tarry matters, and also of the heavy hydrocarbon vapors, which 1 have found sarily result trom the decomposition in the rel tort.

Heretofore various methods of manufacturing' oil-gas have been devised; but it is deemed unnecessary here-to recite them. The plan generally adopted has been to run the oil into the hot retort, either in the state of liquid or vapor, and carry the products of decomposition directly into an ordinary gas-holder. Gas produced in this way has, however, been of poor quality and very smoky, and the pipes leading from the retort, as well as the retort itself, ordinarily become encrusted and choked with carbon. The incrustation often takes place very rapidly. I have' found that it and the formation of smoke producing compounds in large measure also are due to the improper regulation' of the temperature in the retort and of the time during which the hydrocarbon vapors are exposed thereto. This may have been observed by others; but prior to my invention no practical method or apparatus has, so far as I am aware, been devised for enabling the necessary regulation to be effected so as to minimize the formation of these deleterious products. The hydrocarbon, if subjected to too low a tempera-ture in the retort or allowed to remain too short a time in contact with the gas-generating surface, will pass off as uudecomposed vapor.

(No model.)

As the temperature and time of contact are increased-:lighttarry matters begin to' form with a small portion of fixed gas, and as these are further increased the tarry matters become more dense and less in quantity, While the yield of tired gas becomes greater, until finally carbon is set free in greater and greater quanti-A ties, and the gas produced becomes poor and the apparatus choked with the carbon deposit. I' have found that the maximum of illuminating-gas with the minimum of loss is attained by having the decomposition extend as close as may be to the point at which the separation ofxfree carbon begins, without overpassing it, so that the crude gas contains dense tarry matter, and is without Qr substantially Without free carbon, and that the desired conditions will be indicated by tests of the crude gas as or shortly after it leaves the retort or gas-generating surface,wliile still hot and uneondensed, and can be maintained by regulating the temperature ot' the retort and the feed of the hydrocarbon. The test' deemed best adapted to the purpose consists in allowing a jet of the gas to impinge upon a light colored piece of paper or other suitable surface, and examining` the deposit, or by examining the color of the gas itself.V A dense black color in the deposit or in the gas indicates excess of carbon particles, and a pale or colorless appearance, with a Wet appearance ot' the deposit, indicates an excess of condensable vapors. When the feed'of oil and temperature in the retort are properly regulated the gas is of a dense bluish- White tobacco smoke color and the deposit is light brown. lnasmuch as the free carbon and other matters lare apt to deposit very quickly, it is desirable to have the testopening very close to the retort. A Itis obvious that the gas., on its way to the test, must not pass through chambers or gasholders, or through suchV a length of the pipe as will permit the deposition of the carbon and other matters or a large portion of them before the gas arrives at the test-opening.

The temperature of the retort can be readily controlled by proper firing and the opening and closing of dam pers, and the liow of hydro carbon oil or vapor into it can be regulated by means of suitable cocks and valves.

IOO

Although the vdesired conditions with respect to the exposure of the hydrocarbon in the retort can be obtained to a useful extent by regulating the temperature, it 4is much easier and more satisfactory to regulate the feed of the hydrocarbon. An increased feed, by causing the hydrocarbon to remain-a shorter time in contact with the gas-generating surface, and by actually diminishing the temperature in the retort through the abstractionof a larger amount of heat, enables the desired conditions to be attained in a very highly heated retort. Notwithstanding the regulation of temperature and ofthe feed ofthe hydrocarbon, there remains, or is apt to remain, in the gas compounds that produce smoke when the gas is burnt in ordinary or large-size burners. I have discovered that these compounds can be removed by the action of a frictional scrubber, assisted, if need be or if deemed advisable, by a spray or bath of heavy hydrocarbon liquids. The compounds are separated from the gas partly by condensation upon the friction or scrubbing surfaces and partly by dissolution in the products-thus condensed, and fall by gravity into the lower part of the scrubber, whence they can be readily drawn off.

rlh'e efficient regulation of the temperature in the retort and the feed of the hydrocarbon are very important to the successful operation of the scrubber, for if the heat becomes too high in the retort or the hydrocarbon be exposed too long the carbon will collect in the scrubber and tubes leading into and out of it, and will choke them, and if the heat be too low or the gas be toolittle exposed it will be impracticablc to remove all thc smoke-producing compounds.

ln vorder to ascertain how the scrubber is working, a burner is applied to the outlet-pipe, and the dame will reveal whether the smokeproducing compounds have been removed. rJhis burner should be as large as those employed by consumers, and is preferably larger, so as 'to furnish a test more severe than it is liable in practice to be subjected to. In some cases there may not be enough readily condensable products in the gas to dissolve out all or a sufficient amount of the lighter smokeproducing vapors. Dense hydrocarbon oil is then sprayed into the scrubber, or the gas is passed through or over a bath of such oil', as set forth in Letters .Patent No. 117,998, granted to me August 15, 1871.

The accompanying drawings,'which form a part of this specification, represent apparatus for use in carrying out the foregoing methods' or processes.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the rear portion ot' the retort with the scrubber and test- -ing means; Fig. 2, a plan of one of the screens tort. During its passage through the pipe L the hydrocarbon is vaporized. The vapors escaping at its frontend flow back to the rear, passing in contactwith thev hot-walls of the retort, by which they are 'converted in the Iixed gas. l

A is the scrubber; B, thefoutlet-pipe, communicating with the interior of the scrubber at the top; C the inletpipe, entering near the bottom; D, a series of perforated screens placed'at suitable 'intervals apart inthe interior of the scrubber; E, the test-opening in theinlet-pi pe; F, the test-burner supplied from the outlet-pipe; G, a testing device to be attached when used to the inlet-pipe at the opening E; H, a pipe with stop-cock and jets for spraying oil into the scrubber when required, and S a pipe provided with atrap for drawing off the liquids which collect in the bottom of the scrubber.

There is nothing new in the construction of the scrubber. It may be made in any ordinary or suitable way which gives the requisite amount of friction-surface. Coke, gravel, shavings, or other material are or maybe placed on the screens D,'or some of them, to increase the surface. I

The pipe G leads directly from the retort to the scrubber, and the test-opening. E therein may be at any point between the two, provided it is sufficiently near the retort to receive the gas before condensation or deposition can take place.

The device G consists of a glass cylinder, so that the gas will be visible therein, and a jet connected with the upper part of the cylinder. The gas from this jet can be blown upon a piece of paper, or, if not desired to test the gas by the deposit, it may be lighted.

In Fig. l'the test-opening E isV closed by a screw-plug, which can be removed for testing. The jet can be allowed toimpinge upon a suitable surface, and itscolor can also be noted.

The following are the succession of changes in the color of the gas and in the'appearance of adeposit upon paper and a cold iron surface as the temperature in the retort passes from a very high to a very low degree: v

Color of ssufing gas.-First, black; second, black changing to purple; third, purple mingled with dense tobacco-smoke color 5 fourth, dense tobacco-smoke color; fth,dense tobaccosmoke color changing to dark sky-blue 5 sixth, dark sky-blue; seventh, colorless.

Appearance oit-surface of @aprire-First and second, black stain, dry; third, brown black; fourth, light brown; fifth, brownish yellow with yellow border; sixth, yellow, seventh, straw-yellow.

Appearance blown on a cold iron surfacefm First, black deposit of dry carbon second, black deposit with tarry border; third, small black deposit with thick tar border; fourth, thick tar, no carbon; fth, thin tar; sixth, transparent yellowish tar; seventh, transparent unaltered hydrocarbon.

The gas taken from the retort by the pipe G IIO is tested at E, and the feed of oil or vapor to the retort is regulated by means of the valve N in accordance with the test, as hereinbefore explained. The gas then passes' up through the scrubber and out by the pipe 13. If the dame of burner Fis smoky, although the tests at E indicatethat the operation in the retort is and has been proceeding properly, heavy oil is admitted into the scrubber in sufficient quantities to render the flame clear, or the gas is passed through an apparatus such as shown in my before-mentioned patent of August 15, 1 871.

It is obvious that when the crude gas lis tested by allowing it tc impinge upon a sheet of paper or other suitable surface the deposit can be retained as a permanent record.

The new methods herein described for making and'purifying illuminating-gas from hydrocarbon oii are disclaimed in favor of my application for Letters Patent iiled May 3,1876.

it may also be observed that heretofore the exit-pipe from a retort decomposing oil-vapors from a neighboring vaporizing-retort has been provided with a small pipe leading from the exit-pipe to a test-jet ;A but in the said apparatus there are no means for regulating the now of vapors into the decomposing-retort, nor is the test-jet (owing to the length of small' pipe) in such close proximity to the retort that the gas would be tested beforeit had a chance to cool or to deposit the free carbon therefrom. An apparatus of this description is not ineluded in this invention.

`outlet from the retort or gasgenerating surface and provided with a test-opening in close proximity to the retort, so that the gas flowing lfrom the retort or gas-generatin g surface can be tested before deposit or condensation therefrom is allowed to take place, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a retort or gasgenerating surface and stop cocks or valves for regulating the dow of hydrocarbon into said retort or in contact with said gas-generating surface, of ,a pipe receiving the crude gas as it leaves the'retort or gas-generating snrface, and provided with a test-opening in close proximity thereto, and a friction-scrubber for separating the smoke-producing ingredients from the gas, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a retort or gas-generating surface and stop cocks or valves for regulating the flow of hydrocarbon into said retort, a pipe receiving the crude gas from said retort and provided with a testopening in close proximity thereto, a friction-scrubber for separating the smoke-producing ingredients from the gas, and an outlet-pipe provided with a test-burner, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the retort orgas-generatng surface, the cocks or valves for regulating the dow of hydrocarbon into said retort, the pipe receiving the crude gas as it leaves the retort and provided with atestopening in close proximity thereto, a frictionscrubber for removing thesrnoke-producing ingredients from said gas, an outlet-pipe provided with a test-burner, and means for subjecting the gas to the action of hydrocarbon liquid, substantially as described.

HENRY H. EDGE RTON.

NVitnes'ses A. PoLLoK, C. J. HEDRICK. 

